


Anniversary Flowers and a Tattoo to boot

by Baekhanded



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Anniversary, Couple Tattoo, F/M, Flowers, Gift, Gift Giving, Gifts, Language of Flowers, M/M, Neil is a good friend, Tattoos, friendship flowers, hopeless but good, in which Neil is me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 07:42:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16949841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baekhanded/pseuds/Baekhanded
Summary: In which Neil is hopeless but well intentioned and meets....quite an interesting guy.





	Anniversary Flowers and a Tattoo to boot

**Author's Note:**

> another voter prompt! this one is #12  
> "12-flower shop/tattoo artist falling in love andreil" is what i wrote as the prompt
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! It's pretty extra, at least a little....imo

Neil didn’t really know  _ what  _ to gift someone for an anniversary. Even if it wasn’t his own anniversary. People gave gifts to their friends when their friends were celebrating anniversaries, right?

 

Were flowers an appropriate gift? Neil could see a plethora of flowers down the street. He knew it didn’t really matter, if it was a thing or not. Matt and Dan knew he was still a little hopeless at this gift giving thing.

 

Neil really had no other ideas and he was running out of time. Once the light turned green he ran across the crosswalk and jogged to the door of the little flower shop. It smelled….quite nice even before he walked inside.

 

He took a deep breath of the floral air and stepped into the small shop. He was engulfed with even more, more powerful floral scents. It almost made him sleepy. 

 

There was no bell to announce his arrival- either at the door or on the register/desk. He figured it didn’t matter and began walking down the tight aisle, inspecting several flowers as he went. There were so many and after awhile they all started to smell the same. At least to him.

 

“Are you ever going to make a decision, or do you just like to spend your free time panicking surrounded by flowers?” 

 

Neil jumped about a mile where he stood and turned around. Leaning against the counter was quite a small person. Petite even. His hair was green but he looked very unimpressed.

 

How long had he been there? A shiver ran down Neil’s spine but he brushed it aside- he wouldn’t think about that, not right now.

 

“I don’t know much about flowers.” he admitted.

 

The green haired man pushed himself from the counter, “I can tell as much.” He moved behind the counter, then stared into Neil’s soul once more, What’s the occasion.” 

 

“U-uhm, Anniversary. My friend’s anniversary I mean.” Neil felt dumb even saying it.

 

The green haired man just rose a brow, “And you have no idea what any of these mean, right?”   
  
“I-...no. No I don’t. I just learned they even had a meaning.” Neil admitted.

 

The green haired man hummed then stepped out once more from behind the counter, “The friends, do they have a good relationship.” 

 

“They do.”

 

Neil watched his small stature disappear on the other side of the wall of flowers. He heard him open a door and shuffle around. He stayed exactly where he was while the man gathered what he wanted. When Neil saw him again his arms were full but he shooed Neil along. Neil waited at the counter while Mr. Green Hair collected the remainder of his random assortment.

 

Neil watched him drop his burden on a desk behind the counter.

 

“What color paper do you want.” He gestured and Neil looked to the options.

 

“U-uhm...whatever looks best with what you’re making…”

 

Neil was at least 8% sure the man rolled his eyes but he watched him pull out white, red, orange and yellow. He watched him arrange the noisy paper so the colors worked in harmony and no one color was the main focus. It was almost a sunset, a gradient of paper somehow.

 

Then he watched the man surround one single yellow rose with a lot of fluffy white ones. Each sprig separated only by one carefully placed tall lavender looking thing but in white. Then underneath that he carefully placed a sweet scented white flour in between a little cluster of blue ones. They were small and lovely, almost a border to the white flowers atop it. Neil watched him carefully gather them up and slip long sprigs of sunset colored flowers sporradically around. They were taller than the others, but still smaller than the white lavender thing. 

 

The green haired man carefully wrapped the flowers in the loud paper and stared at them one way, then another. Then carried the whole bouquet around and placed a few purple sprigs of something at the back-the highest point of the paper. Then finally some white flowers that hung down the front, at the lowest point of the paper.

 

It was stunning and almost magical. Even if Neil had no idea what they meant.

 

He watched the wrap the flowers tightly but carefully, then slide a little display of cards for him to look at.

 

“What do they mean?” Neil asked instead.

 

The man looked up to him then pointed at each flower in turn.

 

He started from the center

  
“Yellow rose, friendship.

 

White hydrangea, abundance.

 

White dittany, love and passion.

 

Peruvian lily, Indian summer variety, a symbol of devotion.

 

Forget-me-nots and jasmine, forget-me-nots are self explanatory, jasmine is for love and sensuality.

 

Blue salvia, long life and good health.

 

FInally the white wisteria, it’s love, sensuality, support, some other stuff of that nature. It’s also said that the abundance of the flowering vine also signifies our own expanding consciousness. Or something like that.” He finished with a shrug.

 

Neil stared with glazed eyes. How could they mean so many things? How could he even know all of this? 

 

Neil couldn’t get his mouth to move, and when the man looked at him again Neil busied himself with fumbling for a card and his wallet. The exchange didn’t last much longer than that, Neil was on the street outside of the shop before he even really knew where he was. 

 

He went back to his apartment thinking of the flowers in his hand, the flowers in that shop, their secrets, and the green haired man behind the counter that knew their language.

  
  


***

  
  


Turns out, you  _ don’t  _ get your friends things on their anniversary. Neil didn’t even care he looked even less socially conscious than before. The look Matt and Dan gave him when he gave them the flowers, not to mention the information he threw in the card of what he could remember from the florist.

 

“This is by far the cutest thing anyone has ever done for us.” Matt said as Dan read the card. Matt ruffled his hair and Neil fought the embarrassed flush trying to take over his face.

 

“You know, we were planning on getting out actual gifts today, if you wanted to tag along,” Dan said, a sly look on her face.

 

Neil frowned, “Don’t you want to spend that time together? I don’t want to be a….what is it ‘third wheel’?”

 

Dan waved, “Oh nonsense Neil, it’s not the actual  _ anniversary  _ today, but I’m pretty sure Matt will need your support for this.”

 

Neil knew it was a lie, but they were adamant so he tagged along.

 

Neil felt a sense of deja vu as he followed, but their chattering distracted him enough.

 

It was only once they opened the door to the shop and the powerful scent of antiseptic hit his nose while louder than average music played over the stereo did Neil realize they were in a tattoo parlor.

 

Dan happily walked over to the counter and spoke to a smaller rainbow haired girl and informed her of their appointment.

 

She was extremely prepared and the rainbow haired girl smiled, emphasizing the piercing in her dimples.

 

“Is it weird i’m not really nervous?” Matt asked as Neil tried not to look around.

 

He looked up to his tall friend and shrugged, “Not really, I don’t think. It’s something you both want right?”

 

Matt nodded, Neil could feel his excitement radiating off of him. He gave him a gentle nudge, “Well go get everything settled, I guess i’m here to hold your hand.”

 

Matt laughed and nodded, “I’m not afraid but who knows you know?”

 

Neil didn’t really but he nodded anyways.

 

Before he knew it they had their designs down and Dan was taken behind the counter with the rainbow haired girl- Renee.

 

“Andrew should be back any minute, just give him some time to clean and prepare his station.” Renee had smiled and Matt had nodded with a thousand watt smile of his own.

 

Matt and Neil sat on a very interesting couch while they waited. Matt’s leg slowly grew jumpy. Then they heard a door open from somewhere in the back and Renee’s greeting. Seems Andrew had arrived.

 

They couldn’t see him but they heard him rustling around, presumably cleaning his station or preparing it or both.

 

After a few moments Renee caught their eye and gestured them back. Neil grabbed Matt’s wrist and gently tugged. Matt nodded and stood and the two stepped to the other artist.

 

Neil wasn’t expecting to see green hair and a familiar face. 

 

It seemed green hair wasn’t expecting to see him either. He looked at Neil, then Matt. then slowly to Dan.

 

“These are the friends, huh.” He asked but it wasn’t really a question.

 

Matt looked confused and Neil could only laugh, “These are the friends.” 

 

The man, now Andrew stood and placed a paper where Matt indicated and slowly peeled it back then held up a mirror. After getting the approval he had Matt situate himself and gestured to a chair Neil could get to sit beside him. Neil did.

 

Andrew wasn’t a very talkative man, but he was very talented. Matt made up most of the conversation and Andrew spoke up when he absolutely had to. Matt seemed to be taking it well.

 

“Does it hurt?” he asked after a while.

 

Matt shrugged his free shoulder carefully, “Not really? I’ve had worse pains than this. I’m sure you have too.”

 

“Depends on where you want it, and your tolerance.” Andrew said a while after Matt. “Some places should, by all means, hurt more than others.”   
  
“But everyone’s different?” Neil asked and Andrew afforded him a brief glance and a nod.

 

It was companianable after that, Neil watching as Andrew packed the black ink under Matt’s skin and wiped away the excess and blood.

 

It took…. A long time. Neil went and got them all food and drinks at one point, even the artists. He couldn’t just... _ not.  _ So what if he maybe, kind of wanted to know some of the things Andrew liked. No one would ever know.

 

Neil also couldn’t deny his eyes stayed a bit too long at the end of the session and Andrew finally stretched and let his back crack. He didn’t know why his heart fluttered a bit. He accounted it to the close proximity and his mysterious flower knowledge.

 

Was it even the same guy? He recalled them talking about a twin. Did his twin work in the flower shop? But then how would he have known these were the friends? Neil couldn’t fathom it.

 

He realized he was still in just about the same spot while Matt and Dan were paying and comparing their tattoos. Renee was taking pictures for them. They were nice, Neil didn’t get it but they were cool.

 

Whatever Dan’s geometric thing was was mirrored on Matt but inverse. It was like a large outline of what she had. It made sense whether they were together or apart. Neil liked that.

 

Neil shook himself from his thoughts and found Andrew staring at him, his space already cleaned. Neil felt embarrassment flood his cheeks once more.

 

“Sorry,” he said and turned to leave.

 

“Wait,” Andrew said and Neil stopped and looked to him, “take these.”

 

He went to a small vase on his station and handed Neil a sprig of pretty yellow flowers. 

 

Neil titled his head, “What are they?”

 

“Figure it out yourself.” Andrew said then turned and went back through the door he came from. Neil smelled the sweet flower shop as the door closed. He couldn’t hide his smile.

 

“What’re those?” Matt asked.

 

“Where did you get them?” Dan looked around, then realization crossed her face in a grin.

 

Renee gave him his answer though, “Oh? Yellow acacia? They’re quite beautiful. Anyways, I hope you two enjoy your tattoos. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email us. The address is on that card I gave you. Please take good care of it. I hope to see you all again.”

 

Now Neil had a name to google.

  
  


***

  
  


It took longer than he would have wanted to visit the flower shop again. It took just as long for Andrew to show up though. He should really be paying attention to the front…

 

His hair was pink. 

 

“Need more anniversary flowers.” He was teasing him. Neil feared he matched Andrew’s hair.

 

“No, I was wondering if there were flowers for like….secret admirers.” 

 

Andrew raised a golden brow, “Secret admirers? How do you mean.”

 

“I think you know.” 

 

They stared at each other for a long time, Neil’s stomach doing somersaults while his mind whirled. Maybe he read the wrong meaning?

 

Then Andrew moved. Neil stayed rooted to the spot. He held his phone tightly in his sweaty palm. Itching to look up meanings of flowers he didn’t even know yet.

 

Andrew returned with more yellow acacia and several other white ones. He always thought one was a weed, but as he watched Andrew arrange them it was obvious they were an enhancement.

 

Andrew wrapped it in a soft blue, tied it in a golden ribbon.

 

“Acacia, gardenia, white clover and sweet alyssum,” Neil met his eyes.

Neil left without another word, his heart hammering.

 

He sat in his apartment staring at the flowers, touching them gently. Andrew’s voice and their names rolled around in his head. He fumbled for his phone and a little card fell from the carefully wrapped pages.

 

Neil lifted it with shaking fingers and read.

 

_ Come back when you think you know what they mean. _

 

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think!!!!! it could also potentially become a series lets be real
> 
> ALSO some links for fun!
> 
> https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQi4sQqfZFx0Svc7RP_eB8NpMgo8wSWusJX_CJhPWHq3PU4c7jm-A Tattoo
> 
> https://www.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/15-romantic-flowers-meanings/ about 80% of the flower meaning i used
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.auntyflo.com/flower-dictionary/acacia PROBABLY the site neil finds lets be real


End file.
